Improved ankle-supporter



' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE@ ROBERT CUNNINGHAM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVED ANKLE-SUPPORTER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 53,276, dated March 20,1866.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT CUNNINGHAM, of Chicago, Cook county, State ofIllinois, have invented a new and Improved Ankle-Supporter 5 and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification.

The present invention relates to an anklesupporter especially designedto be used in connection with ska-tes, to the rear of the heel of whichit is secured at one end, and at its other, below the knee, to and aboutthe leg ofthe person using the same, the construction and arrangement ofthe ankle-supporter being such as to leave the foot and knee free tomove, while at the same time a-rm and reliable support is given to theankle-joint, as will be apparent from the following detail description,reference being had to the accompanying plate of drawings, ot' which-Figure l is an elevation of the same, showing it applied to the foot andleg ot' a person, Fig. 2, a view of it folded up and laid upon the underside of the foot-rest ofaskate, shown in red in the drawings, so as toillustrate the facility with which it is carried in connection with theskates.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. 4

A in the drawings represents my improved ankle-supporter, made in threeparts or sections, B, C, and D, the lower one, B, of which is secured atone end to the rear of the heel ot' the skate-restiu any proper manner,so as not to become disengaged therefrom when in use, but at the sametime be readily disengaged or detached when the skate is removed fromthe foot, and it extends upward from the skate upon the back side of thefoot to a point at or near the ankle-joint, to which end, by ahingejoint, E, the next section or part, C, of the supporter is hung,this section C consisting of two upright parallel rods or bars, a a,attached together by a cross-piece, b, at their upper ends. On thesebars a a of the supporter-section C the cross-piece c ot' the rod F,constituting the remaining or upper portion of my ankle-supporter, ishung so as to freely play and slide up and down thereon, the rod Fpassing loosely through the cross-piece b of the said bars a a, andbeing hung at its upper end by a swivel or other suitable joint, G, toand upon a strap, H, which is to be passed around and about the leg ot'the person, and then fastened with sufficient tightness thereto by abuckle, J, or. any other suitable fastening to retain it in position,and so as not to slide up and down upon the leg, the height at whichsaid strap H is secured being adjusted to suit the comfort of the personwearing the supporter, but should not be above the knee, the rod F beinglengthened or shortened to permit the same by sliding it up and downupon the parallel bars a a of the part C ofthe supporter.

From the above description of the manner in which my improvedankle-supporter for skates is constructed and arranged together it isapparent that by the hinge-joint at or near the ankle-joint of thefootand the sliding connection between the same and the joint of the legat which the supporter is secured at its upper end, the foot and kneeare both free to move, while at the same time a firm and reliablesupport is given to the ankle, the importance and advantages of whichare obvious.

It may here be remarked, in conclusion, that with my ankle-supporter nochaling of theleg can possibly occur, as the supporter adjusts itselt'to the shortening and extending ot' the leg by the bending of the knee,and as the supporter is upon the back side ot' the leg there is nodanger of the skates of another person becoming interlocked or caughtinita quite important advantage.

Another advantage secured by my anklesupporter is the compactness withwhich it can be folded up for being carried either about the person orin conjunction with the skates, as is plainly shown in Fig. 2.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- Anankle-supporter, especially intended to be-used with skates, made inthree parts or sections B, C, and D, connected together substantially inthe manner and so as to operate substantially as described when appliedin any proper manner to the skate and leg ot` the person, as specified.

ROBERT CUNNINGHAM.

